Melanie Sarzano

Melanie Sarzano graduated with a Masters degree from the University of Edinburgh and is now a PhD student working on the Cognitive Irrationality Project (FNS) under the supervision of Prof. A. Meylan. Her research focuses on the motivated aspect of irrational beliefs. In particular Melanie is interested in understanding how closely motivation is linked to irrationality and the role it plays in what appears to go wrong with irrational beliefs. What seems to be common to numerous cases of irrationality such as wishful thinking, self-deception, and twisted self-deception and even delusion, is a desire, the object of which is of hedonic nature. Moreover, one of the goals of her research is to provide an explanation for the conceptual primacy of irrationality. Melanie is currently a visiting student at the University of Toronto where she is mentored by Prof. J. Nagel.